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The Balthazar CookbookBy Keith McNally, Riad Nasr, and Lee HansonIntroduction by Robert Hughes
Potter/Publishers, November 4, 2003). In it, McNally and the chefs de cuisine at Balthazar, Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson, capture the restaurant’s energy and incomparable style while offering more than 100 clear and simple recipes for the restaurant’s signature dishes.
Befitting Balthazar’s place in the firmament of American restaurants, THE BALTHAZAR COOKBOOK includes an extended essay by one of the preeminent cultural commentators of our time: art critic and bestselling author Robert Hughes. In it, he examines the dramatic goings-on behind the kitchen doors and at the maitre d’ station, the recent history of dining and the evolution of food as “art,” and why we are drawn to a place like Balthazar. With THE BALTHAZAR COOKBOOK as a guide, every cook can bring the best-known and loved foods of France to the home table. About the Authors: KEITH McNALLY is one of the most successful and well-known restaurateurs in the country: He has owned such famed New York City hotspots as the Odeon, Café Luxembourg, and Nell’s, as well as his current restaurants—Lucky Strike, Pravda, Pastis, and of course Balthazar. His newest venture is Schiller’s Liquor Bar, which opened in September. McNally grew up in London and lives in New York City. RIAD NASR and LEE HANSON are chefs de cuisine at Balthazar, Pastis, and Schiller’s Liquor Bar. They also live in New York City. THE BALTHAZAR COOKBOOK Edited by Madelyn Miller |
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Started by renowned restaurateur Keith McNally in 1997,
Balthazar quickly became a New York hot spot, famed for its star-studded
clientele, its lively, friendly atmosphere, and its superbly prepared
versions of the “comfort” foods served up in Parisian brasseries. For those
of us not lucky enough to take a trip to Paris or New York City, or those
who simply want to bring the delights of French cooking into the home,
McNally brings readers the eagerly anticipated BALTHAZAR COOKBOOK (Clarkson
The recipes, meticulously translated for the home cook,
range from such mouthwatering starters as Goat Cheese Tart to classics like
Bouillabaisse, Cassoulet, and Steak au Poivre, as well as irresistible sides
such as the perfect Steak Frites or Macaroni Gratin, and even delectable
desserts such as Chocolate Pot de Crème. Beautifully designed to evoke the
atmosphere of the restaurant itself, the book is enhanced with scores of
glorious color and black-and-white photographs. THE BALTHAZAR COOKBOOK also
offers advice on techniques, such as cleaning and preparing mussels, the
proper way to cut a blood orange, and the best method for frying fries. It
also explains more obscure ingredients such as panko and quatre-épices, and
helps readers substitute those hard-to-find items like cockles. Sprinkled
throughout the text are delightful insider tidbits about the famed
restaurant, such as the fact that Balthazar tears through an astounding
twenty-seven pounds of shitake mushrooms a day and thirty pounds of garlic a
week, and serves more than 750 pounds of their famed French Fries each day.